Waking Up In the Morning
by Riverhaze
Summary: Sakura Haruno, the esteemed heir of the Haruno clan, has spent her life behind high stone walls and guided by her parents decisions. So when she sneaks off one night to enjoy a bit of freedom, she did not expect to meet a blond haired ninja who would teach her how to slurp noodles properly. NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

Waking up early after a long nights sleep was probably the best feeling in the world, Sakura decided when she woke up that morning. She had sunk deeply into her sheets from sleep, the silk cradled her body's every proportion and the soft material that made up her bed relaxed every muscle in her body to were she felt like a shapeless blob.

"Good morning, Miss Sakura!" Her servant, Mei, bustled in and threw the curtains back. The Haruno arose from her bed, her night gown brushed the floor.

"Good morning." She said as she crossed into the bathroom, she could hear Mei fixing her bed and straightening up the rest of her room. Sakura chewed on her lip as she regarded her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was almost to her waist, her eyes a bright green and her skin without any blemish. She lived a privileged life, most of her time was spent within the walls of the Haruno Estate, a prominent civilian clan in Konoha. Her grandfather was the head of the clan, he was a kind and wise man, as a girl he often bought her presents. Her father was next in line to lead, and someday, Sakura, as she was an only child. If a son was born to her parents then the burden would be shifted to him, half of Sakura wanted to be the head of the clan someday, but that meant marrying one of her cousins to keep the main bloodline in power, so the other half wanted a little brother.

A warm bath was prepared sprinkled with sakura petals a few minutes later, and after a refreshing scrubbing, she stepped out of the quickly draining basin and sat back as Mei's nimble fingers braided her hair into an elaborate design around her face, entangling small jewels that would catch the light when she turned her head. She wore a casual red kimono top, causal in her opinion as many working class women in the village would save for months to buy it, and a matching floor length skirt, but wore an elegant robe over it, the sleeves barely brushed the floor. The Haruno symbol, a white circle, dominated the back, a pattern of clouds and sakura petals decorated the beautiful silk.

She made her way to breakfast with Mei walking silently behind her. Her mother and father were already seated and Sakura sat across from them, a modest plate had been prepared for her. She ate in silence as her parents talked for a while.

"So, tell me Sakura, how are your studies?" Her mother finally addressed her.

"They are going great. My teacher has me studying the history of Konoha right now. It's fascinating." Sakura finally spoke up.

"Hm, yes." Her mother said indifferently.

"Konoha favors the...military aspect of the village. Nasty, violent clans. Of course, they believe they pull the strings of the village, but they are mistaken." Her father's hushed voice whispered as he poured another cup of tea. Her mother nodded in agreement.

"Personally, I was not shocked by the Uchiha Massacre. When you raise children to defy the laws of all that is natural, what do you suspect? You are very lucky to be a Haruno, Sakura." Her mother said sternly. Sakura nodded but did not voice what she had been thinking. When she had been a child, her secret wish was to be a kunoichi.

To this day she requited strength to being a ninja, how she dreamed of it, being a tall and powerful kunoichi slaying evil dooers and defending the village. She had wanted kids to see her and wish to be as great as she was. The very thought of asking her parents to enroll her into the academy had terrified her, so she never voiced her desire and gradually it faded away. Every now and then it would resurface, as it did a few years ago when she attended the chuunin exams. It was the last part, only the strongest genin had advanced that far, the match she most wanted to see had been between the last Uchiha boy and a menacing red haired ninja, but her favorite ended up being between a loud blond haired boy and one of the Hyuuga nin.

"Yes, they are very violent." Sakura finally spoke in a soft voice.

The rest of the morning flew by in a blur, her tutor arrived, an old man bent with age but still as sharp as a tack, and he gave a fascinating lecture about a bit of history of Konoha, a dispute between two powerful ninja who had a showdown, their fight determined the fate of the village. When he left, she only had an hour before lunch and spent it in the courtyard, a large and grand clearing near the gate of the estate tucked away in a hushed corner of Konoha. The tall trees blocked out the Konoha skyline, it was easy to feel as if one was in their own little world in the Haruno compound.

"Miss Sakura!" Mei's voice called, and Sakura sighed deeply from the rock she was perched on under a large oak tree, she had a sketch book in hand and the squirrel that was halfway drawn scampered away.

"I'm here!" Sakura called and stepped off of the rock. Mei nearly died from the sight of Sakura 'dragging' the hem of her robe through the dirt and grass, and she was wheeled away back to her room. "It's only lunch." Sakura protested as Mei folded the robe delicately as if it were life itself.

"Only lunch!" Mei gasped and began to pick out a more formal kimono. Sakura rolled her eyes as she changed, she was going to lunch with her cousin Souta, the very cousin she would have to marry if a brother was not born soon. Sakura only had one more year and her fate would be sealed. She suppressed a shudder as she donned the robe once more and made her way to the gate with Mei and several other servants. A handsome carriage was awaiting Sakura, she climbed in with the help of a body guard and her servants took their seats. Her cousin actually lived in the heart of the village in a modern style apartment that took up several floors.

Probably the only perk to visiting her cousin was the trip into town, she thought as she leaned toward the window. People paused to watch the carriage pass, the crest of the Haruno clan was adorned through out the carriage's design. The crowd of civilians grew as they traveled through the streets, several kids began to chase it, laughing as they did so. A small crowd began to form, people eagerly wanting to see Sakura Haruno. For some reason, since she had been hidden away practically her entire life, some sort of myth had arisen about her beauty, she was talked about as if she was a princess, in fact, the Haruno clan was treated next to royalty.

She smiled and waved, half hidden by the dark glass, at people who shouted and waved eagerly, trying to catch her attention. She laughed to herself and leaned back as they neared her cousins. The carriage slowed to a stop and the driver hopped out, wadding through the crowd and opening the door with a flourish. Several servants of her cousins were already waiting outside, arranged in two rows to form a path for Sakura to enter as civilians stopped to watch curiously. Her body guard got out first and helped Sakura down.

She blinked a few times from the sudden change in light and tried her best to ignore the people who gawked at her. Women sighed at her close as she passed, her servants followed obediently behind her, the doors were held open for her and she entered a large and bright lobby.

"Miss Haruno! Please, this way." One of the staff led her to an elevator which surprisingly fit everyone. The ride was short and the doors slid open to her cousin's apartment which resembled a mansion.

"Sakura! You made it!" Her cousin, Souta, approached her and took her hand, kissing it.

"Of course, I never miss an opportunity to visit." She bowed back. To many, her cousin was a heart throb, he had white blond hair and electric green eyes, his face perfectly proportioned and body toned from rugged sports but not scared like most ninja. The fact that he was her cousin however, turned her off. They made their way to the tea room arm in arm as he talked about a match of polo he almost won, Sakura listened well and injected the right terms to keep him talking.

"Enough about what I have been up to, what about you?" He asked as they took their seats and he motioned for the servants to leave.

"Mostly studies. My parents do not think I can handle an actual tutor, I only have lessons in the morning." She frowned at her food.

"I should think not! You are to delicate for such matters to concern you. They're to taxing, are you still drawing?" He asked. A flame sparked inside Sakura, she tried to keep her anger under control, but sometimes her fierce temper broke through. And one thing that got her going was being told she was to weak to do something.

"Yes." She said in a low voice after unclenching her teeth, she gazed out of the window to distract herself, the view of the Hokage Tower dominated the skyline.

"Good, that is more suitable." He nodded as he spoke. Sakura did not hear what he went on to say, as she was drawn to the bright blue sky, the faces of the Hokage Mountain, the protectors of the village. She pictured the strong kunoichi again, a massive sword gripped in one hand still dripping with blood of her enamies, the other hand clenched into a fist at her hip, hair short and messy, smirking in triumph. "So what do you think?" Souta's voice brought her back to reality and she looked at him with wide eyes for a few seconds.

"What?" She said stupidly, and he chuckled.

"Yes, I know, so very sudden. I was told a year to." He said and stirred his tea. Sakura racked her brain for what that could mean, then a sickening feeling settled in her stomach. Marriage. He reached into his pocket and pulled out velvet box. He placed it on the table, the white circle of the Haruno stamped on the lid. "This is a very old family heirloom." He said as he lifted the lid to reveal a necklace. It was carved out of numerous emeralds and rubies, the largest stone at it's center was a white sapphire the size of a baby's fist.

"It's beautiful." Sakura breathed. Souta picked up the necklace gingerly and moved until he was standing behind her. He crouched down and latched it around her neck.

"It'll look even more beautiful on your wedding day." He smiled and kissed her cheek. The sickening feeling spread out from her stomach until she felt like she was about to vomit. Souta laughed and attributed the look on her face to wonder and not the growing feeling of horror.

_Line Break_

"Such wonderful news!" Her mother hurled herself at her in a hug when Sakura arrived sporting the necklace. The entire house was abuzz with excitement, Sakura sat numb in her room the whole afternoon as her servants giggled over the prospects of a wedding. The weight of the stones seemed to weigh Sakura down, and she felt a burning sensation were the white sapphire rest in the center of her collar bone.

Now she was alone, the night sky darkened her room, but Sakura sat on one of her chairs, numb. She raised a shaking hand and rest her forehead on it. This could not be her fate, could it? She bit her lip and stood up quickly, the world swayed as blood rushed from her head. She moved to her mirror and took off the necklace, doing her best to place it back in the box instead of flinging it in one corner. She pulled her long hair up in a tight bun, and flung her robe over a lace divider and quickly changed out of her silk garments. She scoured through her drawers, trying to find _something _that would pass as regular civilian wear.

Finding success in a pair of dark pants she wore when playing sports and a plain black kimono top to be used more for pajamas, she shoved her hair into a small cap and climbed out of her window. She crouched low as she darted along the wall, she built up speed and jumped, grabbing onto low hanging branches on a large tree and climbing upward. Pausing to make sure no one had seen her, she crawled forward on one branch until she passed over the wall that divided the Haruno's from the rest of the world.

Looking down she did not expect that much of a fall, but swallowed when she did and her palm's began to sweat. She inhaled and exhaled a few times and inwardly prepped herself before carefully crawling downward, trying to find any crevice in the bricks. Halfway down her foot slipped and with a muffled yelp she was sent crashing to the ground. She blinked back tears and sat up, flexing each muscle to make sure nothing was broken.

Suppressing a smile, she stood up and darted along the path that lead to the village, her heart pounding as the reality that she got away with sneaking off coursed through her. It had been that easy, the entire time! She burst through several bushes and out onto the cobble stone street that looped around the Haruno estate. There was not a soul in sight, and she strolled cautiously along it, passing several benches before arriving at the gate that signaled the city. She crept toward it and with one finger eased the iron gate open before slipping through and closing it silently, making sure it was not locked.

Konoha at night was almost as amazing as it was during the day. She passed by the entertainment district, marveling at the street performers and posters of movies she never heard about. No one even glanced her way for a change, and she almost squealed with delight when a man bumped into her and growled at her to watch were she was going. She walked through the park that was alight with golden light from lamp posts, several chuunin were sparring to a watching crowd, Sakura paused to watch as well. A man was selling balloons to people and even gave her a free one when he saw her gazing at one longingly.

By the time she had visited the memorial and passed the Hokage Tower, she decided she'd get something to eat before going to the mountain. All she could find that was open so late on a weekday was a meager Ramen shop.

'Excellent! Just like normal people!' She thought as she ducked under a banner. She took a seat on one of the stools awkwardly and observed the menu, the cook waited patiently as he cleaned several bowls.

"The usual!" A loud voice boomed then and Sakura jumped, a blonde haired boy around her age plopped himself down in a stool by her and the cook broke out into a smile.

"Ah! My best customer! You'll have to wait, as this little lady here was just about to order!" The man said. The boy looked at her with surprise, as he had not even noticed her, which floored Sakura with excitement. Her eyes darted to the headband strapped around his forehead and then back to his face.

"I know you! You were that kid that beat up the Hyuuga in the chuunin exams a few years ago!" Sakura blurted out.

"Yeah! That's me, Naruto Uzumaki! Glad to meet ya! What is your name?" He stuck his hand out.

"Uhh, Mei Arai." Sakura took his hand and shook it, his hand was rough and calloused.

"I never seen you here before!" Naruto said a little loudly.

"I just noticed this place." Sakura's eyes shot forward then back at him.

"It's the best!" Naruto proclaimed so loudly that she flinched. She choose a small bowl of pork ramen with Naruto's exclamation that it was delicious, and he proceeded to order the entire menu.

"How can you afford so much?" Sakura asked as she stirred the noodles around while Naruto inhaled his fifth bowl.

"I get paid pretty well." He said through a garbled mouth.

"What's it like being a ninja? Are you strong? Did you become a Chuunin? Are you scared of dying? Do you train allot?" All of these questions spilled out of her mouth at once and Naruto almost choked on his food. He coughed for a few minutes and shook his head.

"Uh, it's fun. I'm pretty good. No, I don't know, aaand yes." He wheezed.

"Wow." Sakura breathed in wonder and leaned toward him. Naruto turned red and stuttered out something as he shifted in his chair. "When I was a kid I wanted to be a ninja, but my parents would never let me." Sakura sighed and returned to her own bowl.

"Why not!" Naruto bellowed as if the very idea was scandalous.

"They think ninja's are violent and stupid." She shrugged and wound noodles around her chop sticks.

"That's not how you eat it!" Naruto almost fell out of his chair and Sakura looked at him in shock. "You eat it like this!" He grabbed another of his numerous bowls waiting to be devoured and slurped a large portion of the noodles. "You try!" He smiled at her. Sakura looked at her bowl and mimicked the way he roughly held the chop sticks and picked up a big wad of noodles. Naruto nodded in approval and she slowly brought the food to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut and gave a hearty slurp and the noodles disappeared into her mouth and down to her stomach. Naruto cheered as she coughed and took a large gulp of water.

"How can you eat like that?" Sakura laughed as Naruto finished another bowl in one gulp.

"How can you NOT eat like that!" He threw back and glowered at her. They broke out into laughter and Sakura had to hold her sides. It had been the best night of her life, joking along with Naruto like that, even the cook joined in a few times. With a twinkle in his eye he watched as the two departed and Sakura saw him wink at Naruto but pretended she hadn't.

"Do you live near here?" Sakura asked as they walked the streets, the night life was still alive and curiously interesting people bounced about.

"A few blocks over. I live alone." He ran his hand through his hair.

"Why?" Sakura frowned.

"Er, both of my parents are dead." He coughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She placed a comforting hand on his arm and he smiled at her.

"It's okay. What about you?" He asked.

"Oh, I live over there." She pointed in the general direction of her home. "My parents are really strict though. I just wanted alone time and had to practically sneak out of the house." She swung her hands loosely at her side as they walked.

"Why are they so strict?" Naruto frowned this time.

"Tradition," she sighed heavily, "if anything goes against tradition they flip." They walked on in comfortable silence then, Naruto took her balloon and began to playfully punch it.

"Do you want to go to the Hokage mountain?" Sakura asked then, her face broke out in an eager smile.

"Er, I dunno, it's kind of late and I have training in the morning." He ran his hand through his hair nervously. Sakura's face fell at these words. "But I'll go with you later, want to meet at the Ramen stand again tomorrow night?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes!" Sakura said quickly and hugged him before she knew what she was doing. Naruto turned beet red and hugged her back awkwardly, Sakura pulled away beaming and told him to keep the balloon before departing.

She jogged along leisurely back to the gate, slipping inside she carefully made her way back to the wall. Getting out was the easy part, getting in on the other side however, was going to be hard. It took her three attempts to climb the wall, but with a low groan she hauled herself over the wall and back onto the tree. A little recklessly she jumped down the tree once she was low enough and crept along toward her window. She rolled herself inside and in a fury she ripped off her civilian close before changing back into her pajamas and throwing herself on her bed, all the while a broad smile stretched across her lips. There was no way she could sleep, she thought, as she tossed and turned throughout the night.

Waking up early after hardly any sleep was the worst feeling in the world Sakura decided as her heavy eye lids slid open. Her back ached from the stiff mattress and her small room was filled with pre-morning grey. She sat up with a scowl on her face, not looking forward to training with Naruto and Sai, when Kakashi would only arrive around noon, and another morning was wasted she could have spent at the hospital or brushing up on medical jutsu's.

Memories of her dream swirled in her head, what a weird one, she thought as she crossed through her room, into the hallway, and the bathroom. Once the warm shower water hit her, she forgot all about elaborate red robes and a heavy necklace.

* * *

it was all just a dream mwahahahahaa

this idea has been rotting in my brain for a while, and i wanted to get it out before i started any new projects, so enjoy~

please leave reviews for any spelling/grammar errors and what ya think


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom, what state is the Haruno clan in?" Sakura asked at breakfast after a shower, her mother got up early to tend to her garden before work.

"Hm, well you'd have to ask your father that. I don't really know a whole lot." Her mother shrugged and began to read the back of the cereal box. "Why do you ask?" She queried as she lifted a spoon of corn flakes to her mouth.

"Curious." Sakura shrugged.

"They used to be really big, a few generations ago. I'm not sure what happened, but your father and his brother are one of the few Haruno's left in Konoha." Her mother said. Sakura nodded and finished her own bowl of cereal and departed.

Outside, not many were awake in her neighborhood, meager two story homes wedged together. Sakura passed the Yamanaka's flower shop and waved to Ino's mother who was getting everything ready for the day. She was not in a hurry to morning training, as Kakashi wouldn't show up for three hours anyway. She did a short jog around the village as a warm up and arrived at the familiar meeting place. Naruto was slumped against the bridge asleep and Sai was sitting on the railing sketching. He looked up as she arrived.

"You made the squirrel run away, Ugly." He tsked. An image of a squirrel darting away in a garden planted with flowers ran through her head. Sakura ignored Sai's comment and sat down across from Naruto, her head screwed up in concentration to the dream she had. All she could picture was her own reflection in a mirror framed with ivory wearing a necklace made of numerous jewels.

"Oh, hey Sakua-chan!" Naruto said sleepily, blinking his eyes before turning over and falling asleep again. Sai dropped down and sat next to her.

"Is something wrong Ugly? You're unusually quiet today." He said, placing his sketchbook in front of him.

"I had a really weird dream about my family." Sakura's face was still screwed up in concentration.

"Hm." Sai said, flipping the page in his sketch book and he began to draw Naruto's slumped figure. Sakura watched him, trying to forget about her silly dream. Hours passed in silence as Sai tried to perfect the way Naruto had his arm bent under him in a way that must have been uncomfortable.

"Hey guys." A voice coughed. Naruto was on his feet at once, fully awake.

"You're late!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi, who had a sheepish expression on his face.

"An old lady was trying to cross the street you see-" He began but Sakura joined in on accusing him. After the usual commotion died down, Kakashi informed them about the days training session.

He had hid a green ball in the forest and they all had to find it using team work. Sai and Naruto made some sort of bet, and Sakura's morning was spent seeing through the obvious clues Kakashi gave them but was slowed down by Naruto and Sai's antics. She gave up on them and found the ball on her own, and Kakashi didn't even look up from his smut as he congratulated them all.

"Ha! You owe me Ramen!" Naruto declared, and they quickly decided to settle it over a healthy sparring session. Sakura sat and watched for a while, sitting next to Kakashi, but had to leave as her shift at the hospital started after lunch. She caught a quick bite to eat from a hot dog stand and arrived at the hospital right on time. The highlight of her day was helping deliver a baby, a large baby boy who barely cried as he was washed off and wrapped in a warm blanket before being given to the tired mom and awe struck dad.

Later that night, she changed back into her civilian close and walked wearily toward the front desk to sign out. She chatted with the desk lady and checked the time to put down for when she left.

"You're a Haruno, correct?" An ancient voice asked. Sakura turned around, an old man had approached her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She said and straightened up.

"You helped deliver my grandson, I recognized you to be a Haruno when I saw your eyes. Green eyes were always dominant." He nodded.

"Did you know any?" She asked politely, but was curious.

"Yes, one of my friends when I was your age was a Haruno. Allot of them left, though." He sighed thoughtfully. "There used to be a large mansion they lived in, really pretty, but that was ages ago." He nodded.

"Er, well, I have to go home. It was nice talking to you." Sakura said awkwardly and began to walk away. The old man said goodbye dreamily and began to walk away, and Sakura made her way back home. She had never put much thought into her clan, she knew she was the only ninja from the clan in a few hundred years, not many knew about the Haruno clan anyway because it was a civilian clan.

Dinner was as it always was, her father and mother both ranted to each other about their day but still listened to Sakura as she told them about hers. She tried to put off going to bed by reading through her medical jutsus and a magazine Tsunade sent her and highlighted articles about procedures and new medical practices. Finally, around midnight, she was to tired and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Sakura hoped that Mei would forget about the necklace as she got dressed in the morning, but Mei flung out an arm to keep her from leaving and sat her down, gushing over the necklace as she latched it around her neck.

"There's no reason to wear it, I'm not going out today." Sakura frowned at herself in the mirror.

"Do not frown Miss Sakura! You'll get wrinkles there when you are older if you do." Mei clucked in disapproval. Sakura then glared at herself in the mirror and this sent Mei into a frenzy.

Breakfast was spent with her mother gushing over details of the wedding, showing Sakura drawings of various dresses she could wear, when Sakura already knew she'd wear the wedding kimono that every Haruno girl had worn when getting married ever. It was all white and stitched with gold thred, there were various layers to the dress but it fluttered like water, and of course, the Haruno crest adorned the back in a blood red circle. Her father was quiet the entire time, no doubt thinking such matters were beneath a man.

The only person who did not remind her of the wedding was her tutor, who got straight to business. They sat out in the courtyard with glasses of ice cold tangerine juice and crackers with assorted cheese. He lectured on the bit about the Nine Tailed Fox attacking the city, Sakura had been just a baby when it happened, but many in the Haruno Estate still talked about it, as the Fox killed so many.

"But why did he attack?" Sakura asked after she took a sip.

"No one really knows. Maybe he attacked just because he's a monster." Her tutor shook his wrinkled head. Sakura did not interrupt as he continued about how the Fourth Hokage arrived, but inwardly she doubted that a monster would attack a village for no reason. Maybe it was because she was sheltered and knew nothing of how deep and dark the world could be.

"And the monster was sealed within a baby boy in Konoha." Her tutor finished.

"Who was it?" Sakura asked as her tutor took a moment to rest his voice. She leaned forward, wondering how it was even possible to seal a monster within a living person. 'The Fourth must have been really strong.' A shiver ran down her spine, just another amazing thing a ninja could do.

"I believe the boys name was Naruto." Her tutor scratched his chin.

"Naruto who?" Sakura's jaw dropped. Surely it wasn't her friend she had meet the other night? 'He did say both of his parents were dead and he lived alone.' She leaned back.

"I can't remember, something foreign." He brushed it off and changed subjects.

When lunch rolled around, Sakura requested to eat in her room with her servants. They all chattered happily and Sakura didn't have to speak up much to keep them talking. She was lost in thought about Naruto. If the Nine Tailed Fox was in him, didn't that make him really strong? Was he evil? No, she shook her head at that, Naruto was to nice to be evil, she just could not picture it. Besides, he was her friend and she wasn't going to abandon him just because a monster was sealed inside him by some nut when he was a baby and could only say 'goo-goo'.

After lunch, Sakura had to beg Mei to let her go horse back riding. After a quick change into proper horse back riding close, Sakura descended to the stables. Most of the horses were used in races, her father had a fondness for stallions and had most of the horses shipped in from far away countries. There were a few clydesdales used for pulling carriages around Konoha, she selected a beautiful one with a deep bay coat, ignoring Mei's protests that Sakura pick a smaller leaner horse.

Her afternoon was actually spent well, she rode the horse through the Haruno grounds, doing her best to ignore the burly servants that popped up every now and then along her trail. Mei was all a fluster in disapproval as Sakura shook a sweaty strand of hair out of her face. Reluctantly, Sakura took another bath and changed into a casual Kimono. She ate dinner in silence and her parents asked if she was okay.

"You must be tired from riding that horse around all day. You're not fit enough to do that, I'll have a word with Mei, go lay down and rest, I'll make sure no one disturbs you." Her mother smiled and took Sakura's face in her hands. Glad for once that her parents treated her like a glass object about to break, Sakura bowed out of the room and did her best not to race back to her room.

She stuffed a bunch of pillows under her blanket and played relaxation music on her record player, flying around her room she quickly changed into her black ensemble, making sure to grab more pocket money this time, and waited for the sun to completely set. The grounds were hushed once more as she darted up the tree and over the wall. She jogged lightly to the gate but had to hide behind a bush when a patrol man wandered by lazily, sweeping his flashlight over objects at random. She slowly crept away from him and through the gate.

She waited until she was well within Konoha to let out a sigh of relief, she had some time until she was to meet Naruto, and decided she'd by him a gift. That's what friends do, right? She thought as she window shopped. People bought her gifts all the time, and for once she was going to buy a gift, she added with a broad smile and entered a weapons supply store, since he was a ninja after all.

Inside several young genin were gawking at a large sword that was highly priced, and a familiar looking ninja was at the counter talking to the cashier. Sakura was unnoticed and browsed through the wares, settling on a set of glossy kunai's with handsome red grips. The cashier raised and eyebrow at her as she settled the box on the counter.

"Er, are you a ninja?" He asked gruffly.

"They're for a friend of mine that is." Sakura waved and placed her coin purse on the counter. It made a loud thump and the ninja who had been talking to the cashier looked at it in disbelief. "How much shop keep?" She asked pleasantly. After paying and leaving a dumbstruck cashier and ninja behind, she made her way to the ramen stand, the box tucked under one arm.

Naruto was already there with his mountain of noodles when she arrived and slid into a seat next to him, but was surprised to see there was another person there.

"Hey Mei! This is one of my team mates, Sai." Naruto jerked his head toward the boy that sat on his other side.

"Hello Sai." Sakura smiled at him. He just gave her a blank expression and nodded.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that." Naruto clapped Sai on the back so hard that Sai pitched forward a bit.

"I got you this." Sakura handed Naruto the box.

"Wow, cool! But, why?" Naruto asked as he took the present, his eyes widened at the set of expensive weapons he could never afford.

"Friends buy presents, right?" Sakura asked with a hint of confusion. "Besides, it was nothing, my parents don't mind if I spend a little money now and then." She added so he wouldn't feel bad about not getting her anything.

"Why don't you take your hat off Mei? It's probably hot in here with the steam from the cooking." Sai suggested and Sakura noticed the funny look in his eye.

"No thank you, I just got a bad hair cut and don't want anyone to see it." She coughed and quickly ordered a bowl of ramen, Naruto was to engrossed in inhaling half of his food to notice, and Sai reluctantly returned to his own bowl. Sakura wound the noddles around her chop sticks and raised the neat portion to her mouth.

"HEY!" Naruto bellowed and Sakura stared at him. Naruto's face was set into mock furry. "I thought we talked about this!" He jabbed a chop stick at her. Realizing what he meant, Sakura unwound the noodles and slurped them up. She coughed once more and had to shake her head, she hated the feeling that she was about to choke on the noodles, but laughed at Naruto's look of approval.

"You'll ruin her figure, having her eat like you do." Sai grumbled as Naruto charged through the remainder of his food.

"Are we still going to go to the Hokage Mountain? I've never been up there before." Sakura asked as she paid for her food.

"Sure, do you want to come Sai?" Naruto asked his team mate. The boy stood up and Sakura almost blushed, he was wearing a shirt that revealed half of his belly!

"No thank you, I've had a long day." He said flatly and paid for his and Naruto's food before departing.

"Why did he pay for you and what did he mean that he had a long day?" Sakura asked as they left the shop.

"He lost a bet and we've been up since five in the morning training all day." Naruto shrugged.

"Wow, what kind of things can you do?" Sakura asked in awe, her earlier thoughts on the monster within him completely driven away. Naruto smiled widely and began a detailed description of the jutsu's he could do and the times he fought against various villains. She was so enraptured by his story that she hardly noticed the buildings of Konoha thinning out and they began to climb atop narrow steps that gradually slopped upward.

Sakura was breathless by the time she reached the top, but Naruto seemed perfectly fine. She shook her head no furiously at him when he offered to help her, and Naruto secretly admired the look of fierce determination that sparked behind her eyes. They sat atop the fourth's head in silence for a short while, Sakura overcome with the sight.

"It's so pretty! You can see all of Konoha! Even the Haruno Manor!" She gasped and looked at Naruto with a look of pure wonder. He scratched his head nervously and smiled back at her as she returned to gaping at Konoha. She never realized how _big _it was! All of the small buildings pieced together, people buzzing about in all directions, the glowing lights from the various entertainment districts, it was all so breathtaking.

"Yeah, it is kinda pretty." Naruto said. Sakura jumped, as she forgot he was sitting next to her for a moment. Her knees were tucked up to her chest and her arms wound around them, almost like a small child trying to hide from the boogey man. She looked at the Haruno Manor once more and was deflated a bit, it was so dark and depressing, sheltered off from the rest of the city. Her eyes swooped away from it and over the rest of Konoha, her eyes rest on a particular dark area of the village.

"What's that?" She pointed and Naruto shifted to wear he was leaning toward her.

"That's the Uchiha District." He said after following her gaze. Sakura noticed how a look of sadness flickered across his features.

"Oh yeah, they were all killed except for that one boy." Sakura nodded in memory, images of his fight between the scary foreign ninja swam into view.

"Sasuke." Naruto said quietly. Sakura looked at him and titled her head to one side. "He was a friend of mine." He said stiffly.

"Was?"

"He left the village a few years ago. He went...bad. It's complicated." Naruto sighed. Sakura was overcome with emotion then and flung her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry!" She said tearfully. Naruto fell back a little from her surprise attack but gratefully hugged her back.

"It's fine." He smiled as she pulled away, blinking back tears.

"He was your friend wasn't he? What a meanie!" Sakura huffed angrily and wanted to find this Sasuke and give him a good earful for hurting Naruto, who laughed at her choice of words to describe Sasuke. "I don't have very many friends, actually, you're my only real friend." Sakura sighed and looked back out at Konoha. She wished then that she could tell him who she really was, but would he accept her? She watched him out of the corner of her eye, unsure.

"Really? How come?" Naruto asked, watching her.

"My parents," Sakura shrugged, "people are only nice to me because they have money, growing up I wasn't allowed to play with other kids, or play at all."

"I didn't have any friends either." He said quietly, and Sakura wanted to ask if it was because of the Nine Tailed Fox, but decided if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her, so she never brought it up.

"We're two kindred spirits then." Sakura broke out into a smile and he beamed back at her. Naruto's smiles were probably her favorite. They had to leave then, as it was getting late and she needed to sneak back home. As they descended the mountain, Sakura's thoughts were in high gear. She couldn't keep sneaking off at night, Naruto had duties in the morning and she'd start getting bags under her eyes and her parents would blow a lid. Maybe if she milked being tired for one more day, she could sneak off during the day, and she could buy more civilian close.

"I'm going shopping tomorrow morning, maybe I'll see you around?" She asked as they reached the ramen stand.

"Maybe." He smiled kindly at her, Sakura hugged him gratefully again and pecked him on the cheek. Naruto froze and turned beet red, she giggled at the look on his face and darted across the street laughing. From were she stood she saw Naruto shake his head, his smile broadened, and he departed toward his apartment.

Sakura broke out into a brisk jog, she checked a clock that hung above a building, it was almost midnight. Now she was sprinting home, sliding through the gate and slithering through the grounds. Her muscles would ache in the morning, she thought, as she hurdled over the wall and down the tree. She bounded toward her window and jumped onto her bed, throwing the blankets over her and moving the pillows out of the way. A few minutes later she caught her breath and sighed in relief, laughing silently to herself.

"So." A voice said and Sakura felt her blood freeze.

* * *

i told myself that i would keep this story a one shot, but ideas were just swirling in my head, mwah, we'll see were this takes us :3

if its to confusing were it switches over between the two sakuras, please let me now and ill figure out how to make things more clear if needed

why dont ya drop a little review? alerts and faves are appreciated as well


	3. Chapter 3

She bolted upright in her bed and strained her eyes in the darkness. There was a fumbling noise and her lamp clicked on, Mei was sitting on her wicker chair, arms crossed tightly over her chest and lips pursed together as if she swallowed a lemon. There was a tray of tea sitting atop an ottoman, Mei's foot jiggled and Sakura could tell that she was angry.

"So." Mei repeated and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Sakura said, she meant to sound amused but came out sounding like a smart-ass.

"Your mother gave me a stern warning to keep you from doing task that tire you, and even threatened to fire me. I decided to make green tea for you, when I come into your room, I find a bunch of pillows stuffed under your blankets." Mei said between angry pursed lips.

"Oh." Sakura nodded, her heart was beginning to return to normal, but she was at a loss of words.

"Explain." Mei said hardly, sounding more like a mother than a servant.

"Uh, I got really depressed yesterday because I felt trapped over having to marry Souta and no one even asked me if I wanted to. So, I snuck out. All I wanted to do was go around Konoha, but I meet someone and they're my friend now. Mei, please do not tell on me." Sakura said all this in one breath and threw herself out of her bed and onto her knees before her servant and friend, hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Everyday I felt myself becoming an empty shell. People told me what to do, what to think, what to wear. But out there, in the village with my friend, I fell like...me."

Mei's expression softened and her eyes searched through Sakura's green ones, and let out a low long sigh.

"Sakura, you are a Haruno. Right now you may feel trapped, but you're a teenager. All teenagers feel this at some point. You have a responsibility and a duty to your family." Mei said quietly but firmly, before her face finally relaxed completely. "But I understand what you mean. I will not tell, but you must be more careful. Don't go running into the village, you may not like hearing it, but you're not strong enough to defend yourself."

"I could be! Naruto thinks I'm strong!" Sakura said fiercely.

"Naruto? Your friend is a boy?" Mei gasped dramatically and nearly fell out of her seat.

"He taught me how to slurp." Sakura nodded and Mei clutched her heart with wide eyes. "Not like that Mei! He's just a friend!" Sakura grabbed a stray pillow and playfully hit her friend.

"Just a friend now! Is it that Uzumaki boy? It is! He's no good!" Mei shook her head.

"You just said you'd support me!" Sakura pouted.

"Because I thought your friend was a girl! A Haruno running around with an Uzumaki! Think of what would be said if people found out!" Mei seemed aghast, her mind swirling with potential rumors.

"People wont say _anything _because people wont find out! I'm going to pretend to be sick again tomorrow morning and go into town to buy more civilian close, and maybe a wig." Sakura's voice trailed off with her thoughts on what she would need.

"Get a red one, it'll match your eyebrows better and your skin tone." Mei sniffed. Sakura slowly smiled, because she knew then that Mei was on her side.

"Is the tea still warm? I'm thirsty." Sakura said and reached for a delicate china cup painted with roses.

* * *

Sakura brought the mug of ice cold green tea to her lips and stared through the small kitchen window to the back street that wound around her home. A boy a few years her junior was trying to kick start a scooter, his mother still in her bed robe was watching like a bespectacled hawk. She tore her eyes away as she drained the cup and placed it in the sink, her mind whirling around to other matters.

She had another dream, this one more intense than the last. She remembered bigger parts of it, a notepad on the kitchen counter carried her neat handwriting, she had taken to writing down her dreams so she could get into the habit of remembering them better. She did not have training that morning, but woke up early anyway. One image from her dream that she was able to recall with startling clarity was sitting atop the Hokage Mountain with Naruto, staring at the sight of Konoha at night in wonder. She had pointed out something called the Haruno Manor in her dream, and Sakura was going to see if it truly was there from the Mountain.

She jogged lightly toward the Mountain, remembering to wave to Ino's mother as the blonde would probably corner Sakura in public if the pinkette forgot to say hi. It was cloudy out and slightly windy, Sakura shivered, she should have brought a jacket but she was already half way there to turn around now.

Almost forty five minutes later, Sakura came to halt atop the Fourth's Head and scanned the village. The direction she had seen the mansion in had been to the left, the wall of Konoha had been incorporated into the mansion's attempt at privacy, carved out of a large section of the rich part of Konoha. She spotted the house that signaled the drop off for the mansion's grounds rimmed with thick oak trees, her heart picked up as she recognized the barrier of trees, then her breath caught and died in her throat, as there was a small field, then more trees, and the houses picked up again.

It wasn't there.

She looked back and stared at were the Haruno Manor should be, but there was just a thin strip of grass, as if the house on the other side wanted a little extra privacy from it's neighbors.

'I'll go talk to Naruto, see if he's having these weird dreams.' She thought and nodded. As she made the descent and trip to Naruto's apartment, she began to make a list of places she could visit to find out more about the Haruno clan. Her dad was first priority, she'd ask him at dinner and maybe she'd visit her uncle as well. She could also go to the Library, since the Haruno's had been a civilian clan, their records were in the public domain. She could also pull information about them from the Hokage's register.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not notice at first when she arrived at Naruto's, she passed his apartment and had to double back. Deciding it was more prudent to knock on the front door, she set inside through the stairs. Naruto lived alone on his floor, his neighbors probably moved out when they found out who he was. She knocked only once before the door was flung open.

"Who is it! Oh! Sakura-chan!" He bellowed out in annoyance then shock when he noticed her and she cringed back. "Whatssup? Do you want to come in?" He beamed and moved back.

"Thanks, I have to ask you something." She said and scooted around him, he seemed beside himself as he led her into his small living room. His apartment was surprisingly tidy, she figured it would be messy and decorated with posters of girls in to small bikini's. Naruto vaulted over the couch and plopped down on his butt, something told Sakura that was how he normally sat.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning back and kicking his feet up on his coffee table.

"Have you been having weird dreams lately? Like that past two nights?" Sakura asked. Naruto screwed his face up in concentration and scratched his chin.

"Can't say that I have. I remember this one dream I had a couple nights ago were I was eating at the ramen stand, but I have dreams about going there allot." Naruto said thoughtfully. "Why are you having weird dreams?" Naruto asked, sensing he had lost her attention.

"Sort of. They're about me. My family. I can't really remember much, and I can't explain it well enough, I'd confuse you." Sakura ran her hands through her short hair and shook her head. "But you've been in them. We just talk though, in them. The last one we were sitting on the Hokage Mountain." Sakura sighed dreamily, her eyes far away. "And the other day, an old man came up to me at the hospital and asked me about my family. No one has ever asked me about being a Haruno." She added.

"What happened in your dream Naruto? Really concentrate." She leaned toward him until she was on the edge of the couch and her knees touched the love seat he was sitting on. He put his feet down, his cheeks tinged with pink from the intense look Sakura was giving him. Naruto's brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he concentrated, glaring at his coffee table.

"Well, the dream started out with me walking down the street, I was really hungry. I entered the ramen stand and asked for food, but there was already someone there about to order." He said slowly.

"Who was it? What did they look like?" Sakura asked eagerly. He looked up at the ceiling, scratching his chin.

"I dunno. It's like they were covered in shadows." He shrugged. "We began talking, but I can't remember about what. Then, the dream ends." He nodded and looked at her. Sakura searched his face for a few seconds, and decided that was all she was going to get out of him. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, but start writing down your dreams, okay?" She stood up abruptly. "I'm going to go snooping around Konoha's archives for records about my family. All of this is way to coincidental." She said as she made her way for the door.

"Do you want some help?" Naruto asked as she reached the door. She paused and considered his offer. She could just picture him getting bored with sitting in the quiet dingy library and groaning the entire time, but she did feel bad about barging into his home then leaving abruptly.

"Er, sure." She smiled kindly and Naruto departed with her chatting a million miles a minute.

As the afternoon came around, Sakura was bowed over a large dusty tome, eyes squinted as she searched for the Haruno's under the 'H' section in the index. Naruto was searching through stacks and stacks of newspapers and other public records, occasionally he'd pull one out and place in in a small pile, but the pile that did not have any Haruno related business was the biggest. The librarian arrived again, arms weighed down with books and placed them on their table, her eyes sparkling, no doubt having the time of her life pulling out books for them.

With a jolt, Sakura found her name, and surprisingly, there was an entire chapter devoted to her family, most of the other civilian clans had only a few paragraphs they shared in one chapter, the book devoted most of its content to the ninja clans. Sakura bookmarked the index and flipped to the first page of the chapter, reading with anticipating eyes.

'_No other civilian clan in Konohagakure has been as prominent or influential as the Haruno's. It is not certain when the first Haruno's arrived in the village, but the earliest trace of the clan is with it's founder, Hideaki Haruno, who rose to prominence during the chaotic founding years of the village. He bought much of the village's land and earned his fortune selling it back to other families and businesses. He won the hearts and minds of the civilians by appealing to them as an average man who made it when only ninja clans were powerful. While the Uchiha, Hyuuga, and other clans grappled for power over the village, Hideaki was secretly pulling the strings of the Fire Lord, gaining favor over the Hokage himself.' _

Sakura read the paragraph silently, her lips moved around the words, hungry for more information, she read on.

_'Hideaki took three wives, his first wife was the daughter of a foreign clan loosely related to the Haruno's from the Wind Country. The second was a daughter from the Hyuuga clan, and the third a distinguished socialite from the village. The five children he bore from the Hyuuga wife were trained to be ninja's, while lacking the byakugan as the blood line was still in its infancy, these ninja did have large amounts of control over vasts chakra systems. After the death of Hideaki and his eldest son took over the clan, the ninja of the Haruno clan acted as body guards and bullies for their family, stealing and intimidating the other civilian families who had to employ common ninja. While never proven, rumors and substantial evidence pointed that the Haruno ninja formed a secrete group called 'The Order of the Red Blossom' acting under orders from either the clan head, or on their own interests. After the death of several Uchiha nin and a Haruno civilian, unpopularity for the Haruno grew_ _and__ all traces of this secrete group died out, along with the Haruno ninja.'_

Sakura's mouth was hanging open as she read further and further into the paragraph. She knew there had been some ninja ancestors in her family at some point, all sorts of weapons and scrolls with her family's crest were hung throughout her house as decorations. She wished the book actually said the names of these Haruno nin, heck, even the wives' names. Her head still swimming with information, she read on with a little reluctance, as part of her did not want to read what would come next.

_'For several generations, the Haruno worked to repair their damaged reputation. But during the early years of the Third Hokage's control, a large famine swept through the nation and village. By this time, the Haruno's took to marrying cousins and distant relatives, and took on the air of aristocratic importance, and did little in charity work to help those who were starving. While the ninja clans escaped the wrath of the common man, the Haruno's did not. At this time, another famous Haruno would come to prominence that would save the clan for a short while-'_

Sakura turned the page on baited breath, only to find the start of a new chapter. She stared unbelieving at the small stubble of several pages ripped out of the book. It took three minutes for her brain to start working properly again.

"Some one ripped the pages out!" She yelled, Naruto jumped at the sudden burst of volume, and looked over. "Only the first two pages of the chapter about my family are in here, the rest are pulled out!" She pointed wildly, her skin felt as if it were burning, she felt as if someone had come into her house and stolen her things, it was the same feeling of violated safety, of finding out that you were never really safe.

"But why would they do that?" Naruto frowned.

"Simple, because someone doesn't want others snooping through the Haruno family history." Sakura said firmly and crossed her arms.

_Line Break_

"Dad, what do you know about the Haruno clan?" Sakura asked. Her father looked at her with a mouthful of mint ice cream, he was reclined all the way back in his chair, the TV switched to his favorite program. Sakura stationed herself in front of the screen with her hands on her hips. She had missed her opportunity at dinner, in fact, she completely missed dinner, to engrossed in the records of the Haruno clan that Naruto collected. A large piece of poster paper was now sitting on her bed, a crude family tree was in the works, complete with causes of death, what said Haruno worked as and other accomplishments.

"Erm, a bit. Why the sudden interest?" He asked. Sakura turned off the TV and sat on the couch across from him.

"Why not? I went to the library today, but someone ripped out the pages in this book about our family. You and Uncle Botan are the only Haruno's in Konoha, and Grandpa is to old to travel here anymore." She said.

"Hm, when I was a child our clan was dwindling in numbers in Konoha. I had a few aunts and uncles, they all moved away by the time I was a teenager. I was never told exactly why the Haruno's began to leave, my father-your grandfather, was the head of the clan and decided that we'd stay here." He said slowly and placed the carton of ice cream on the coffee table.

"Could you think of why they'd leave?" Sakura asked.

"The main rumor was that the Haruno's got tired of the village's favoritism toward the Ninja Clans," He said and paused for a moment, "there were other rumors as well, I can't really remember them, I never put much thought into it."

"Do you know anything about our history?" She shuffled in her seat, but a part of her knew that her dad was probably as in the dark about the clan as she was.

"No, by the time I was born the clan was unraveling, I wasn't taught the history, everyone was to busy fighting each other or leaving." He sighed deeply. "A large number of Haruno's live in the Wind Country though, and a few in the Southern portion of the Fire Country were your grandfather lives." He added.

"Don't leave ice cream out like that!" Sakura's mother stormed in, her long pink hair flew around her face wildly and living under the same roof for sixteen years trained Sakura in the art of detecting when the woman was on a war path. Sakura promptly excused herself to her room, shutting her door as her mother and father had a light argument.

She stood there for a moment, contemplating the long days turn of events. It seemed as if any trace of the 'influential' Haruno clan had been wiped clean off of Konoha. While the basic records of the family had been left behind, some one didn't want the dirty details of the clan lying around. She thought back to her dreams, what did they mean? Were they a message? She moved all of her work onto her desk, blowing air out through her cheeks.

She felt as if she were merely standing at the beginning of a very long road.

* * *

hmmm, not sure about my feelings on this chapter.

id like to thank all of the lovely reviews/alerts/faves/hits, one review by Gen. Malaise actually made me laugh cause they guessed pretty much what i was gonna do lol *hands plate of cookies to them*

so why dont cha all drop a little review down there for me? :)


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you don't want the doctor to check on you?" Her mothers worried face loomed a few inches from her. Sakura was wrapped around with blankets, conjuring a pitiful look on her features which she thought would pass as tired.

"Yes, I just want to lay down. Can Mei stay for company?" Sakura asked in a small voice. Her mother nodded stiffly and departed, Mei bowed as the elder Haruno passed and closed the door gently. Immediately Sakura sat up, fighting out of her blankets and changing into her only pair of civilian close, she had a large amount of pocket money ready to be spent.

"Do be careful." Mei said with a sigh, handing Sakura a spare servant uniform she had nicked out of the laundry. The servants lived on the Haruno's grounds in a series of dormitories near the back, and conveniently, there was a small road that led straight to Konoha from there.

"I'm all about being careful." Sakura smiled as she placed the bonnet over her head to hide her pink hair that was tied into a strict bun at the base of her neck. Mei gave a small sigh and patted Sakura on the cheek before she departed. Since she had spent her entire life in the confines of the Haruno Manor, Sakura knew all of the short cuts and secrete passages, so she did not encounter a soul during her exit.

The stroll across the grounds was pleasant, especially since she was used to body guards popping up at random times when she normally did, this time, no one looked at her at all. When she reached the servants quarters, no one was around and chills swept through Sakura, it was eerie standing in the middle of the square and hear nothing. Once she was well down the road to Konoha, she hid the servants close under a thick growth of bushes and leisurely walked through the gate.

It was a lazy weekday morning in Konoha, most people were at work so those who were out and about were only running errands. Her first stop was to buy the wig, she entered a costume store at random an a half awake worker pointed her to the wig section. Her eyes traveled over bright and vivid colors, until she found what she was looking for.

It was red, a bright faded shade of crimson in short messy layers that would frame her face perfectly. She purchased it and stole around the building to the alley way, curling her nose from the pungent odor that seeped from a near by dumpster. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching and took the bonnet off before throwing the wig on. Checking her reflection in a puddle, she grinned widely, she looked tough and edgy, not at all like the fragile little princess everyone saw her as.

She bounced down the streets now, having fun throwing her hair over her shoulder now and then. Her next stop would be to buy close, and she froze in her step. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea what to get. All of her close had been provided for her since birth, grand and elaborate kimono's that cost more than half of the houses in the village. There were so many styles and fashions popular with Konoha civilians, she didn't want to buy out dated close and have people _laughing _at her.

Looking around at the different stores, she entered the one closest to her, a frilly little boutique that her mother would probably shop at. Everything was a soft shade of delicate pink and white, she felt like a monster creeping around the store in her black kimono top and pants. It didn't help that a worker eyed her the entire time, always peeking at her around displays to make sure Sakura wasn't shop lifting. Sakura quickly abandoned the place and crossed the street to a modest clothing store that seemed to be geared more toward the everyday Konoha citizen.

She wandered gaping at everything through the store, a majority of the close were basic forgetful close for citizens, but there was a large section for the more fashion conscious Konoha teen and even a large section for shinobi. She meditated between the section for ninja and the rebellious eye catching close for regular teens. She saw a shocking pattern on a pair of pants and bent down to examine it, bending back up and taking a step back to see the red plaid pants in the light she bumped into someone, a hard someone as Sakura felt her back pang with hurt.

"Sorry!" A breathless female voice said and Sakura turned around, staggering and her jaw dropped. A tall busty blonde kunoichi was looking back, clad in a skimpy purple outfit, her hair styled rebelliously around her face.

"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention." Sakura said in a small voice and added a smile.

"Are you a kunoichi? I've never seen you here before." The blonde asked.

"Oh, no I'm not a ninja, I mean, there's nothing wrong with being one, but my parents didn't want me to be one and well." Sakura froze as she realized she had begun to ramble.

"Oh." The blonde blinked once and smiled meekly. "I'm Ino Yamanaka." She held out a hand.

'A Yamanaka! Wow, she's from one of the ninja clans!' Sakura screamed inwardly and was suprised she managed to keep her face composed and held out her own hand.

"I'm Mei Arai."

"Arai? That's a pretty common name. I've never seen a red head Arai before." Ino raised her only visible eyebrow. "I know allot about civilians, my mom runs a flower shop." She added.

"Yeah, I dyed my hair this red." Sakura shuffled uncomfortably. "I've heard allot about the Yamanka's though! That you guys can like, take over a person's body and other cool things too!" She added a little to enthusiastically.

"It is pretty cool." Ino said and puffed out her chest in pride. They ended up talking for another ten minutes, Sakura really clicked with the girl and ended up with a shopping buddy. Ino knew allot about the trends and styles in the village, and helped Sakura pick out a balance between civilian and ninja close, many with shocking patterns and cuts that would cause her parents to fall into seizures of Sakura walked through the door with them on. Sakura left the shop with her coin purse much lighter and several heavy bags loaded with close.

"Thanks for buying me those shoes! I've been saving for _ages _to buy them." Ino said with a wide ecstatic grin as they strutted down the street to another shop.

"Not a problem, I have plenty of money." Sakura shrugged. When she saw Ino staring longingly at a pair of delicate purple heels, Sakura expected the shoes to be really expensive, but ended up only being a few hundred notes, practically change to Sakura. Ino then turned red and sputtered that Sakura didn't have to buy it, really, why did everyone get so touchy whenever money was concerned?

"Do your parents just give you money?" Ino eyed the girl then.

"Sort of." Sakura looked away as they entered another store. Ino's suspicions that the girl was some sort of thief were forgotten when she came into close proximity of more close, and pretty soon their morning was gone and they were standing at the end of the street dumbstruck as to how four hours flew by.

"I'm hungry, want to get lunch?" Ino asked, shifting her bags to her other hand. Sakura was not as lucky, as both of her hands were clinging onto numerous bags, and she wondered as to how she would possibly be able to sneak them back into her room.

"Sure." Sakura said and Ino led the way, babbling on about a great tea shop that her and her team mates always went to after training. They ducked under a wooden blind in a small doorway and into a small crowded restaurant and waded through the main floor to an empty booth near the windows that looked out onto the now busy street of Konoha, as many were on their lunch break. A waitress appeared and took their orders quickly before disappearing back into the sea of people.

"I know it's a little crowded and noisy, but the food and tea is amazing, especially on the figure." Ino winked. Sakura surveyed the area, the closed pressed bodies laughing and talking merrily.

"I love it!" She said with a spark behind her vibrant green eyes. "Really quaint." She added and settled back into her seat. Their food appeared a few minutes later and Sakura took a sip of the green tea she ordered. It wasn't as sweet or balances as the tea the cooks prepared, nor was her sandwich as rich, but she was charmed by the simplicity of it all and happily ate.

"Oh my god! There's Choji and Shikamaru! HEY!" Ino spotted her friends and began to wave. Sakura looked over her shoulder and spotted two boys as they maneuvered toward them. Both were shinobi as the metal on their head bands winked at her, the taller thinner one had his wrapped around his arm.

"Why do you have so many bags?" He sighed as Ino moved for him to sit next to her and the larger one sat next to Sakura, eyeing the remains of her sandwich.

"We were shopping." Ino said happily and Sakua noticed her blonde friend lean toward him. "This is Shikamaru and that is Choji, they're my team mates. This is Mei Arai." Ino introduced them and Sakura smiled at them both, only for Shikamaru to sigh deeply at her.

"Mei? Do you know Naruto?" Choji turned to her.

"Yeah actually! I meet him at this Ramen stand." Sakura nodded. Ino snorted and rolled her eyes and Shikamaru said something that sounded like 'typical'.

"He wont stop talking about you! Are you his girlfriend?" Choji asked and Sakura turned a faint red at these words.

"Don't scar Mei for life Choji!" Ino laughed.

"Er, no, I mean, I am his friend." Sakura spluttered out and coughed.

"Speaking of Naruto, were is that idiot with Sai and Ayumi?" Shikamaru grumbled then as the waitress reappeared, a little annoyed that she had to go back to their table. Just as Choji finished ordering several meals and Shikamru just a cup of tea, three more people entered the tea shop, one talking at the top of his voice. Everyone swiveled in their seats to see Naruto arguing playfully with a stone faced Sai followed by a small lithe girl.

Sai eyes spotted Sakura at once, and Sakura shrunk back in her seat. She did not like the looks he gave her, as if he saw right through her lies. A small smile twitched at the corners of his lips and Naruto followed his gaze.

"MEI! I didn't know you knew these guys!" Naruto seemed to have teleported across the restaurant, waving his arms wildly.

"I actually just meet Ino shopping and she introduced me to them." Sakura explained, trying to control the grin that always found its way to her face in his presence. Naruto shoved a very disgruntled Shikamaru over, Sai took a seat next to Choji and the girl stood standing up.

"My name is Ayumi, Mei. I've heard allot about you, nice to finally meet you." The small girl, even shorter than Sakura, held out a hand and Sakura took it with a friendly smile. Ayumi had short messy brown hair, her ends dyed a bright yellow with deep blue eyes. She wore a blue qipao dress that was shorter than usual for combat, even though the small girl looked ready for battle something told Sakura that this was the girl's casual look.

Once everyone had their food, talk began at the table in a confusing round-a-bout, half the time she did not know if someone was talking to her, so the conversation got very mixed. She was giddy with excitement, here she was, sitting and having a real conversation with friends, not formal addresses between her parents and servants. A few times when she talked with Naruto, she was reminded of an odd dream she had the other night.

The dream just had her and Naruto sitting in his apartment, talking. She couldn't remember what about, but it had been urgent for her. What was strangest about the dream though was that her hair had been short, stopping just above her shoulders in fact. It probably didn't mean anything, so she brushed it off. What also made her uneasy was Sai's constant thousand yard stare directed at her, his emotionless black eyes burned a hole through her head as she tried to ignore him.

The large group departed, still wrapped up in chatter. Sakura was walking in step with Naruto as he carried half of her parcels.

"Wow, you sure did buy allot." He squinted down at the bags.

"It just happened." Sakura shrugged hopelessly. "What time is it?" She asked then, remembering she had lost track of time back in the shops Ino and her bounced around from.

"Almost one." Ayumi checked a watch at her wrist.

"I have to go home, I told my parents I'd be back around lunchtime." Sakura took her bags from Naruto, her heart raced as she realized she had stayed out way later than she had planned, hopefully the actual Mei was able to cover for her. "It was nice meeting you all!" She said rather quickly as she gave a vague wave to them and dashed away at top speed.

She skidded to a stop in a secluded alley way, throwing the wig off and into a bag before crushing the bonnet back onto her head. Surprisingly she found the bush were she had stuffed the uniform under and threw it over her black outfit. She carefully wrapped all of her new close in their bags and stuffed them under a hallow portion of a tree's roots, throwing dirt onto the plastic bags to hide their color and placing a large branch as a marker for her, she'd send Mei to get the close later.

She made her way back up to the manor, doing her best to avoid people. A few short cuts later and arrived outside her door, a snoozing body guard caused her to freeze in her tracks. She crept closer and eased the door open and slipped inside.

"You're back!" A breathless voice said and she was crushed into a hug by Mei.

"I told you I would be!" Sakura smiled, hugging her loyal servant and friend back.

"Your mother came around again at lunch, I barely managed to talk her into leaving by saying you were asleep." Mei sighed, rubbing her forehead and collapsing down onto Sakura's chair as the Haruno began to change back into the respectful delicate little heiress.

"Thanks, I ran into a few friends of mine and ended up eating lunch with them." Sakura said as she began to brush her long hair. Mei took the brush and styled her hair into it's familiar intricate braid.

"Be careful, you can't go around trusting everyone. There are some bad people out there, even in Konoha." Mei tsked and Sakura rolled her eyes. Even though she trusted Mei, the girl just didn't see the strength that Naruto saw in her. There was a brisk knock at the door as Mei latched the horrid necklace around her. The door swung open and Sakura's mother walked in, a rather sour expression on her face.

"Ah, you're awake." Her mother seemed pleased, and Sakura's stomach dropped as the family doctor strode in. He was a tall man with white hair from age and a weathered face. He wore a bright white doctors coat with sleek leather gloves and matching shoes.

"Mother, I'm fine, I don't need a doctor." Sakura protested, but the doctor pushed her onto her chair and shone a light into her eyes. He poked and prodded her various times, gazing into her ears and mouth, checking her heart rate for an awkward five minutes.

"Nothing seems to be wrong physically." He said gruffly and stood up.

"Could it be stress?" Her mother asked.

"Possibly. Has she been put into any situation that would cause it?" He asked.

"Hm, she did just get engaged," her mother crossed her arms thoughtfully, "but her tutor has been teaching her very complicated matters recently."

"What? No he hasn't! He barely teaches me at all!" Sakura snapped angrily, tired of them talking about her as if she wasn't even there. What infuriated her the most was that they treated her like a little china doll that could break at the slightest touch. Her mothers eyes widened from shock and Mei inhaled sharply.

"Sakura Haruno, you do _not _raise your voice at me! It is very unlady like to get angry!" Her mother said sharply. Sakura took a few deep breaths until her anger subsided just a little.

"Mother, I am fine. I just wanted to relax for the day is all." Sakura tried to sound calm, but her voice shook. Her mother analyzed her with shard eyes for a few tense moments, then her features relaxed.

"Fine, then. But you will not lay around again like that. Preparations for your wedding have begun and there are still many important events coming up that you shall not be excused from." Her mother said in a crisp tone that let Sakura know that her mother had let her off the hook, for now. If she put one toe out of line again, Sakura would be in for in.

"Yes, Mother." Sakura nodded and bowed as the regal woman left, the doctor strode out behind her. Mei closed the door slowly, and turned to look at Sakura with wide eyes.

"That was close." She said as Sakura let out a long sigh. She told her servant were she stashed her new close and the marker she used, Mei agreed to retrieve them as soon as possible. Sakura's afternoon was then spent with the miserable company with several of her cousins and other noble girls who came to visit. The mostly talked of gossip about boys, who wore what to which party, and gushing over the details of Sakura's wedding. The entire time half of Sakura was still back at the village in the tea shop with her real friends.

* * *

sorry for the late and short update, i got very busy and didnt have much time

i wanted to continue this chapter into real-sakura's perspective, but if i did then you'd have to wait several more days for an update, so, the next chapter is going to be much longer, as i want the plot to start picking up, right now its slowly starting to gather lol

as always, leave a nifty little review :) thank you for everyone that does! :D


	5. Chapter 5

The sunset cast a bloody glow around the village, Sakura noted how everything seemed to have a slight orange tint under the setting sun's rays. She crossed her arms over her black kimono top, Mei had been unable to sneak off and get her other clothes before dinner, so she'd probably have them the next morning. Sure, Sakura had been a little careless to climb over the wall again once her parents left her alone after dinner. She had wanted to be alone, but not alone in the Haruno manor.

So she found her self standing by a small river that ran through Konoha and was possibly the source for the public baths. She crouched down and slowly put her feet in the water, resting her chin on her hands and sighed deeply. If only she was tougher, able to knock around a few heads then her parents wouldn't try and lock her away for the rest of her life. What had also driven her out of the Manor unexpectedly was all the talk about her wedding.

Her skin crawled and she shivered, with everyone talking with such certainty about her future made her feel lost, not even a person with their own thoughts and wishes but a mindless animal herded around from pen to pen.

'Stupid Haruno's.' She grumbled and kicked her foot in the water. 'If only my parents had another child, then I wouldn't be so coddled.' She thought of her parents formal and icy demeanor towards one another, now that she thought about it, she had never seen her parents even hold hands. Would that be her life married to Souta? Sit by as a trophy while her husband did all the work? She leaned back until she was laying down on the pavement and let out a frustrated howl.

"Is some one okay?" A voice shouted from behind a building and Sakura's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped in disbelief.

_'No way!' _She sat up as the person raced around the corner and Naruto skidded to a stop in front of her, his face just as confused as hers.

"Mei? What are you doing here!" He waved his arms in disbelief.

"Escaping my insane parents." Sakura said in a neutral tone and worry flashed across Naruto's face.

"What's wrong?" He grunted as he sat down next to her cross legged. Sakura brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"They're so overbearing, I was almost locked away in my room for the rest of my life because I came home late earlier. They think I'm so fragile, but I know if I could, I'd be really strong." She spilled out years of pent up frustration. "They've already picked out my husband!" She buried her head in her hands and had to chomp down on her lower lip to keep from crying. Naruto was unusually quiet when Sakura resurfaced her head.

"Well they're crazy, you're one of the toughest girls I know!" Naruto boasted.

"No I'm not, I can't punch through walls, I can't run faster than the wind, I can't perform amazing jutsu's that defy the laws of physics. I'm just a little civilian girl. I wish I could do all those things." She sighed and her voice cracked a little.

"What if I showed you how to do some of the basics? Would your parents let up then?" Naruto offered. Sakura slowly turned her head to finally look at him. "I mean, if you don't want me to but some one else-" He scratched the back of his head nervously and gave her a shaky grin.

"No! That'd be wonderful!" Sakura threw herself at him and squeezed him into a hug. He fell back a little onto his elbows and she beamed at him, her red hair swirled around her face. "When do you think we could start? Do I need special clothing or any protection?" She asked a million miles a minute.

"Er, no. What you're wearing now is fine, and we could start right now if you want." He shrugged. Sakura bobbed her head up and down, and realized she was still clinging onto him. A little red in the face she pulled away and they stood up.

"Where to?" Her smile stretched from ear to ear, Naruto had to blink a few times to get his brain to work again.

"Oh, the training grounds. No one should be there at this hour, my team usually trains there." He said stiffly. They walked at almost a run, as Sakura was practically sprinting there. She also talked the entire time about what she had seen him do during his match against Neji all those years ago.

"I mean, you were incredible! How you used those holes from the previous match to knock him out! I wouldn't have thought about that in a million years!" She gushed as they reached the training grounds.

"Yeah, it was pretty good." Naruto smiled, a small blush on his face as no one had ever really complimented him like that. Usually when people talked about his fighting techniques, they used 'reckless' and 'idiotic'. "Here we are." He held his hands out in a grand entrance as if he was inviting her into a large mansion. Sakura scanned the barren field, patches of grass missing here and there and craters from sparring sessions.

"Alright Naruto-sensei, what first?" She spun around to face him and he placed a hand under his chin in thought.

"Today we shall learn basic hand to hand combat." He smiled. Sakura placed a fist into a palm and bowed respectfully, Naruto returned the bow with a grin.

* * *

Yes, that had been a little weird, Sakura decided as her pencil finally came to a halt. She remembered mostly from the dream shopping with Ino, a few flashes of sitting at a booth with everyone, and later Naruto showing her basic fighting moves, such as deflecting a punch and throwing a person over your shoulders. She didn't know that Naruto could even do those things. With a sigh she closed the note book and pulled her shoes on.

Both of her parents were begining to stir when she left, jogging at a light pace to the training grounds in the predawn grey. Hopefully today's training session would go by pretty quickly so she could escape to the Hokage's office before lunch and her shift at the hospital and pull the records on the Haruno's there. With her Dad's lack luster knowledge on the Haruno's from yesterday she'd have to go to her uncle. He lived in the ritzy part of Konoha as he owned his own merchant shop and was well traveled. That upcoming trip would be exciting, she thought a little sarcastically.

She kept her light jog up until she came to a stop in front of the old bridge, Sai was already there and was sketching a mourning dove that was perched atop a post and hooting at him softly. Sakura silently crept forward and sank to her knees to keep from scaring the bird, she would never hear the end of it if she did, as she had scared away a squirrel he had been drawing yesterday.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto bellowed and she jumped at least a foot in the air and Sai let out a low sigh as the dove took flight. The number one knuckle headed ninja was practically skipping with a broad grin on his face toward his two team mates, a note book in hand.

"I didn't know you knew how to write." Sai said absentmindedly and Sakura could just picture the half smirk/half smile on the boy's face.

"Oh shut up Sai!" Naruto said with a comical pout. "Sakura-chan, I wrote down my dream and I actually remembered some of it." He said and flopped down next to the pinkette. Sai turned to face them with a raised eye brow but remained silent. Sakura glanced at him and wished she could be having this conversation when his prying eyes and ears were not around.

"Cool, let me see." She held out her hand and Naruto shoved the notebook under her nose. She took it and tried to angle herself infront of it as she read to keep Sai from seeing it.

'_Okay, so well, um, the first thing I remember was sitting on the bridge at the training grounds with our team, but Sakura-chan wasn't there. Then I remember eating at this tea shop and the food was really good because it usually is, I ordered these spicy noodles with some sort of fries- _there were several smudges here as if Naruto had violently erased several sentances-_ but I also remember going to this pub with Pervy-Sage who was trying to do 'research' but I got bored and left and heard some one yelling and when I went to look who it was it was this girl all covered in shadows and we talked then I showed her a bunch of fighting stuff.' _

Sakura reread the passage several times, having to gulp several times to control the empty feeling in her stomach.

"Naruto, do you remember what the girl looked like?" Sakura asked, closing the notebook and handing it back. He tucked it away under his jacket with a shake of his head.

"It was like she was hiding her face the entire time, I never got a good look at her face. Wait! Her hair! It had been red." Naurto finished with a shout, his eyes far away as he concentrated on his new vision. "Really red." He added in a murmur and shook his head, blinking several times.

"This is good! I-" Sakura sputtered into a cough and tried not to look at Sai, as she just remembered he was there and listening intentlly to everything they were saying. It's not that she did not trust the boy, but she just didn't want a lot of people knowing about her own little research project. She felt she was tiptoeing around some pretty dirty secret's and the less who knew the better, plus she was gambling into Naruto's ability to keep something quiet. He tended to get a little chatty when he got emotional. She also did not want Sai knowing she was having strange dreams, he would more than likely go tell Tsunade with the best intentions at heart, but she did not need a psychology board investigation breathing down her kneck.

"I'll talk to you about it later." She muttered out of the side of her mouth and coughed afterward. Naruto nodded silently, picking at a few blades of grass next to his foot. Sai pulled his sketch book back out several minutes later when it became clear the two were done talking. With a small smirk to himself he began to sketch the two team mates sitting a little closer than normal. An hour or two passed in comfortable silence and Sai was trying to perfect the way the sun was falling across Sakura's hair when a voice brought them all out of la-la land.

"Sorry I was late, I walked under a ladder you see-" Kakashi said sheepishly and both Naruto and Sakura jumped to their feet proclaiming him to be a liar. Sai's mouth twitched into a smile and he tucked away his sketch pad, hopping down from the bridge easily as Kakashi began to run through the morning's training plan.

Two hours later and several curse words and punches later from a jumpy Sakura, Kakashi decided to call it a day and dismissed them, the entire time he did not look up once from his little orange book.

"Kakashi-sensei! When are we going on a mission again!" Naruto groaned, dragging his feet as he walked and rubbing his side as he had snuck up behind Sakura during training and scared her.

"I'm working on it." Kakashi said lazily which translated into he was not. Sakura had no complaints and began to inch away, she could use this time to race over to the Hokage Tower. Instead she found herself roped in with Sai and Naruto trying to find a place to eat lunch. She tried to deny that she was hungry at first but her stomach let out a low feral groan right when the words escaped her lips and even Kakashi raised his visible eye brow at her. The silver haired nin was absent, as he drifted off to some stand that was selling new editions of his smut-books and they knew Kakashi would be MIA for the remainder of the day.

Sai was leading the way and began to drift closer and closer to the tea shop they usually went to, and Sakura's stomach began to do flips with each step she took. She could tell them that she had a few things to do and slip away now, but curiosity pushed her forward and she ducked under the divider after Naruto and had to squint through all the smoke.

"Sai! Sakura! Naruto! Over here!" A voice called and Sakura spotted Ino bobbing up and down in her seat waving them over with an irriated looking Shikamaru and Choji who was already eating. The three took their seats and Sakura found herself squished in next to Naruto and Choji with Ino across from her. A waitress with short brown hair appeared and took the new comer's orders for drinks and left to fight her way across the crowded floor.

"Sakura, we need to hang out soon. I saw this new dress the other day that would go perfect with my eyes." Ino said and all of the men except Sai let out a groan. Sakura broke out into a smile and had to fight back laughter.

"Yes we do, I heard Lady Wen's is having a sale on underwear-" She said and Naruto yelled 'ew' and Shikamaru hit his head against the table as Ino and Sakura laughed. The waitress came back admist this and began to hand everyone their drinks, Sakura looked over as she took her's and almost dropped the glass. The waitress looked back innocently as Sakura regained her grip and set the drink down. She tried to look casual as she read the woman's name tag.

"Ayumi, that's a nice name." She smiled and the waitress looked down at her name tag involuntarily.

"Oh, yeah. It's a family name." Ayumi shrugged and took their orders before leaving.

"Trying to pick up the waitress, Ugly?" Sai looked at her and Sakura couldn't help but see a suspicious look in the boy's features.

"Oh please, if Sakura was gay she could get much better." Ino scoffed and talked turned away thankfully from the topic to whose team was better, Ino and Choji got really heated while Sakura and Naruto countered back just as fiercely while Sai and Shikamaru both sighed their dissaproval.

They spent and hour in the tea shop and when Sakura stepped outside she had to blink several times to see again. Naruto said something about seeing Jiraiya and Sai left to the park, his sketch book tucked lovingly under one arm. Shikamaru just left and Choji ended up having to do something with his dad.

"Wanna go check out those sale's?" Ino nudged her friend playfully.

"Oh, no, I can't, I have to go see Tsunade-sama, how about tomorrow?" Sakura asked, trying not to feel bad about the slight frown that fell across Ino's lips.

"Sure, but don't try and escape missy." Ino shook a finger at the pinkette with a smile and the two left their seperate ways. Sakura began to make her way to the Hokage tower but found herself standing outside of a door with a buzzer. She looked around several times in disbelief, she hadn't been paying much attention and wondered how she ended up outside her Uncle Botan's apartment.

"Maybe it's fate." She snorted and pressed the button.

"Who is it?" A deep male voice asked and Sakura leaned forward.

"Sakura." She tried to say clearly. There was a short pause and she wondered if her Uncle was ignoring her.

"Sakura! My favorite neice! What can I do you for?" Her uncle asked.

"I need to talk to you." She said and the door clicked several times before swinging open and her uncle's voice telling her to come right up. Several women dressed in elaborate outfits looked at the pinkette in alarm as she passed, as she was still wearing her training close. Open toed sandals and leather gloves probably weren't all the rage in high fashion, she thought as she began to climb the stairs two at a time.

She knocked once before her uncle told her to come in and she crept around the door, shutting it lightly. She walked down a short hall way and into a large living room area filled with light from ceiling to floor windows, an enormous couch wound around in a half circle rest in the center before a large tv were her uncle sat in the center, a box of candy in his lap as he flipped through several channels.

"What brings my little niece over so unexpectedly?" Botan beamed at her as she vaulted over the couch and flopped down on a plushy seat, crossing her arms as she leaned back. Her uncle strongly resembled her father, with the same jade green eyes and large forehead but his face wasn't as worn as her father's was from age.

"I've been getting curious about the Haruno's lately, and a few days ago I went to the library and found this book that had information about us, but some one ripped out all the pages." She started, a little blunt but she only had twenty minutes before her shift at the hospital would start. Botan's face knitted together at her words and he rubbed his chin in thought. "I asked my dad but he doesn't really know much, so I figured you would, because you travel around and have meet the other Haruno's." She added, patting her knees lightly.

"The clan must have ripped the pages out when they left Konoha." He said slowly, still rubbing his chin. He popped a piece of candy in his mouth and chewed slowly, his eyes drifted around as he mulled over what Sakura said.

"That makes sense, but what are they trying to hide?" Sakura turned to face him more. The room was silent as they both thought through different theories, Sakura had already ruled out the possibility of it having to do with the Haruno ninja or the Order of the Red Blossom, as those things had been kept inside the book.

"My best guest would be they wanted to cover up why they really left. To this day no one is sure exactly why they did, there are several rumors though that make sense, but have holes in them." Her uncle spoke up then. Sakura nodded as she mulled over these words.

"The book stopped at this part talking about the clan during the Third Hokage's control, about some Head who helped save the clan but their name was cut off." Sakura mentioned, she hadn't reached that part in history on her family tree yet and did not look forward to all of the work that she still needed to do.

"Oh, that's Kazuhito." Botan blurted out immediately. "He was my grandfather and he's your great grandfather." He added.

"Did you meet him?" Sakura asked.

"No, he was assassinated shortly before the Fourth Hokage's time. He was really popular with the civilians and had a lot of political power. He did not want the Fourth to become Hokage and some think political supporters of the Fourth had him killed. The assassin was never caught" He clarified.

"Could his death have something to do with why the Haruno's all left?" Sakura asked, the gears in her brain whirling at top speed. Her uncle could only shrug. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Their beloved leader was killed and justice was never brought to the murderers, who may have been ninja within the very village." Sakura jumped to her feet and unconsciously began to pace back and forth, her stomach clenched and she felt empty, as if she hadn't eaten anything all day. "So they have to sit back while the ninja clans are coddled and adored, so they left after the nine tailed fox attacked and before the Uchiha Massacre." She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her Uncle who was in awe at how quickly Sakura was connecting the dots.

"That's it! The reason's the Haruno's left, I think it may be tied to those two events." She held up both of her pointer fingers. "People say the Haruno's left because they were tired of how the ninja clans were treated. They leave and a short while later, one of the most major ninja clans in Konoha is wiped out." She explained, then tucked her fist under her chin in thought.

"Are you saying the Haruno's had the Uchiha's killed?" Botan looked at her in disbelief.

"No, although they would justify the Uchiha Massacre with the death of their leader, there isn't any evidence to say an Uchiha killed Kazuhito." Sakura speculated and let out a long sigh. Just when she thought she was on the verge of a breakthrough, more dead ends.

"Plus Itachi Uchiha killed his own clan. There's probable cause that he just snapped under all of the pressure that his clan put on him." Botan pointed out excitedly, glad to point away any accusations of genocide away from his family. Sakura nodded at these words, he had a point.

"What time is it?" She asked then, remembering she had to go to the hospital.

"Almost two." Her uncle glanced at a shiny watch on his wrist. Sakura cursed under her breath and flew across the room, shouting a goodbye over her shoulder as she went, racing down the stairs and out onto Konoha's streets. Breaking out into a sprint she carried the momentum up and over a nearby veranda and across the buildings toward the hospital.

She skidded to a stop in front of the Hospital and climbed the steps towards the front doors, dashing inside she flashed her ID to the woman at the front desk and disappeared behind the employee marked doors. Several nurses gave her disproving looks as she dove across the small room, shoving her punch card into the slot like her life depended on it. It clicked and she let out a sigh of relief as the clock changed to two.

Her afternoon slowly dragged on, there wasn't much to do at the hospital that day and she found herself doing tasks like changing bed sheets and fluffing up patients pillows. She chatted with Shizune for a while, but the older woman had to go back and help Tsunade with paper work and Sakura was once again alone. Wondering how Ino managed to get better hours than her, the pinkette clocked out around six with a heavy sigh.

Claiming that she already ate at the hospital, she dashed past the dinner table and up to her room. She rifled through the stacks of papers Naruto had collected, until she found the ones' she had been looking for. One was a birth certificate for Kazuhito, and another his death certificate. Several were just health cards with dates for his immunizations and check ups, and Sakura noted how all of the Haruno's seemed to go to the same doctor. There were several more official looking papers that were awards and licences that the man had held.

Gingerly placing the records back, she took out the family tree she had drawn up, tracing forward a few years she added Kazuhito to the list, drawing a question mark next to his death. She listed the several theories on his death, including her own. She leaned back and sighed, knowing that if she wanted to further investigate her claim, she had to go snooping around in the nine tailed fox's attack and the Uchiha Massacre, both of which would be tightly locked away in the Hokage's records.

It was a good thing she was the Hokage's apprentice then with special access to said records.

* * *

whew, another long update, sorry, you'll have to blame writers block on this one

im not to sure about this chapter either, let me know if it's to far fetched, i dont want the story to get to crazy with its conspiracy theories, i tried to watch out for the little grammar mistakes i tend to make while writing, if they're still there point them out closely and ill go back and fix them as i dont want any one to get thrown out of the story because i used the wrong word or something lol

as always, thanks for all the reviews/hits/faves :D


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